Sonny Terry Blues Riffs 2 (Volume 19 of the Ben Hewlett Harmonica Course)This is our second book of riffs devoted entirely to one harmonica star.These Sonny Terry-style riffs aim to introduce the developing harmonica player to the sound of the great man himself. Sonny Terry has been and continues to be a huge influence on generations of harp players and once more here’s your chance to learn how to get that great sound.There are sixty riffs in this collection and you’ll need four different keys for them – A, G, Bb and C. The riffs are performed at three different speeds and the notation and tab gives as much information as possible to help you learn them. The album finishes with four playalong tracks – one in each of the four harmonica keys, for you to try out the riffs with.Bonus track : Grammy award winner Peter Madcat Ruth has given us permission to include his track - Georgie Buck which you’ll find as track 66Richard Sleigh"Sonny Terry's"controlled Epileptic fit" style of harmonica playing was a jolt of Rock andRoll energy in the world of acoustic blues. I saw him once, and I was lucky - Browniecouldn't make the gig and Sonny blew the roof off of the auditorium by himself with asustained blast of genius and energy. Unforgettable.If you are an intelligently lazy musician that wants to jump into the wild world of SonnyTerry, then be grateful that Ben Hewlett has done the heavy lifting for you. Just follow hisinstructions, learn the licks, master them and then forget them. Then look out - Sonny'senergy and genius will pop through you when you least expect it.... Your playing will neverbe the same!"Richard SleighR.Sleigh.comJerry Portnoy"Ben Hewlett has produced an extremely useful, clear and understandable breakdown ofthe key elements of Sonny Terry's harmonica style and techniques. Highlyrecommended!" Jerry Portnoywww.harpmaster.comSteve Baker"Starting with those inimitable rhythmic chugging patterns andprogressing through a wide selection of Sonny's classic riffs, BenHewlett has succeeded in breaking down the essential elements ofSonny Terry's unique harmonica style into easily understandablesections which are readily accessible to the intermediate player.Accompanied by guitar and drums, Ben plays each figure at theoriginal tempo, then slows it down to half time so you can hear everynote, before playing it at tempo once again. This is a great source,both for Sonny Terry fans as well as for anyone just looking for somecool licks"www.stevebaker.dePeter Madcat Ruth"I first heard Sonny Terry on the radio in 1964. My mind wasblown, and my life was changed. A few days later I bought a SonnyTerry phonograph record and started to try to figure out how to playharmonica. My task would have been a lot easier if Ben Hewlett’sSonny Terry Riffs books were available back then. I highlyrecommend you take advantage of this great opportunity to learnto play harmonica like Sonny Terry. Enjoy!Peter Madcat Ruthwww.madcatmusic.netRob Paparozzi"Ben has figured out how to make Sonny Terry's licks & styleattainable for harp players on all levels. His methodology andrespect for the music are what make him a great player and anextraordinary teacher. Kudos to Ben for 'demystifying' the work ofone of our Harmonica Giants in a way the makes it FUN to learn astyle with many twists, turns, hoots and hollers!".....Rob Paparozzi,HarmonicistRob Paparozziwww.robpaparozzi.comINTRODUCTIONI was first introduced to the captivating sounds of Sonny Terry by my first teacher,Paul Lamb, who told me ‘you can learn all you need to know from Sonny’, and Paulshould know - he studied nothing but Sonny’s style for twelve years and became wellknown performing in folk clubs in the UK. Eventually he was able to meet Sonny andplay with him on stage – I wish I’d been there!I got hooked in the 1990s and have loved Sonny’s style ever since. I bought TomBall’s excellent book ‘Sonny Terry Licks’ and learnt more about the way Sonny playsand also got most of his recordings to try to decipher them.So this CD/book is an attempt to explore small sections of Sonny Terry’s playing.We have simplified it where possible to make it easier for you to pick up and haveplayed it at three different speeds with a drum track to quantify the rhythms andnotate them with some accuracy.Some would argue against this method but I think it works and helps to understandwhat he’s doing. We’ve tried to get the ‘feel’ of Sonny’s playing across rather thanthe exact details.However I would recommend you also go back to the original recordings, and,having studied this book, you should be able to work out some of his playing onyour own – by then your ear will be in tune and you should be able to hear what he’sdoing much more clearly.If you pan right on the recording the drums disappear and you can hear theharmonica more clearly. We think Sonny is all about the groove so keep that inmind and try both ways – with and without the drum track.You will find four playalong tracks at the end of this album, each in the key of theriffs as they appear in the book. In E for the A harmonica, in D for the G harmonica,in F for the Bb harmonica and in G for the C harmonica. These are for you to tryout any of the riffs with a rhythm section.ARTICULATIONSThe words that you see above the notes (starting at riff 4) are an attempt toindicate what my mouth is doing at that time. I’m sure Sonny wouldn’t have thoughtof it in these terms but it seems to work well for learning about this style. You canpractise it by whispering these words loudly into your harmonica. If your ears hearother words from those we’ve written do feel free to alter them to suit your learning.WHOOPINGThe words that describe my awful ‘singing’, or as Sonny described it – ‘Whooping’start at riff 14. They are fairly interchangeable and inconsistent; just make it up asyou wish!Much care and effort has gone into producing this CD/book and the reward we areafter is that you enjoy working with it, and that it helps you become an even betterplayer.My buddy Joe Filisko has gone into Sonny Terry’s style (plus lots of others) muchdeeper than we have here. He notates throat and hand tremolo, vertical tongueflutters, tongue shakes, tongue slaps, hand pops, hands open/closed, head shakes,rolling R’s, clean/dirty notes, his whooping, the articulations and more…so get intouch with Joe if you want to get deeply immersed in the styles of the early harpplayers. Go to www.filisko.comHAND POPPING (H.P.)A technique where the free hand (usually the right) forms a cup shape and claps theharmonica and the other hand to make a popping sound. This movement is performedswiftly by moving in and away from the harmonica - a bit like slapping your thigh or making a‘high 5’!See the ‘How to Hand Pop’ video on our YouTube page - YouTube/PaulLennonUKIn the book you’ll find this technique used on riffs 12 - 19, 40, 52 & 53.PULSEWritten over two chords tied together, the second chord is played as an accent rather than asa new attack giving a pulsing sound.The book:A pdf version of the book with all tab and music notation is available for £4.99 from www.HarmonicaWorld.netFREE HARMONICA LESSONS? You will find YouTube videos at www.youtube.com/paullennonuk and more at www.youtube.com/benhewlettukBiogs:Ben HewlettBen Hewlett became a musician at the age of ten in 1969 learning the trumpet. He went through the school system of exams and performances, finally escaping the mandatory classical repertoire with the discovery of Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. He was a minor third addict at fourteen and still has a passion for jazz and blues. Godfather Dennis Corble gave Ben a harmonica at the age of 7 thus unknowingly sowing the seeds of a lifelong love of this instrument!Paul Lennon L.T.C.L.Paul is a composer/arranger, multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer and teacher. He studied violin, piano and composition at Trinity College of Music and later jazz harmony and composition with Amit Sen. His varied career has covered performance in classical, jazz, folk and rock and composing in different genres and styles including contemporary dance, jazz art music, ambient and film soundtrack. He has also co-written an entire series of educational CD/books for harmonica and is currently developing music resource material for his own website. For a more detailed biography go to paullennon.com